revenge of the souffle dishes

[rm]

So Patty and I really like those pre-made chocolate souffle things they sell at Trader Joe's. This has resulted in us having over 20 of these miniature ceramic souffle dishes (diameter of 3.5"; 1.5" high) in our house. We've used some to put small potted plants over to catch water drips, but seriously, we have stacks and stacks of these things, and, well... we think they are breeding.

To what useful purpose can we put them?

Comments

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

Gosh, so many good suggestions. I've gotta second the usefulness of ramekins. Ours are used mostly for mise en place, cat food (treats in particular), and whenever assemble-it-yourself furniture is in the house, all the parts are sorted into them for easy access.

They're also great small portion dishes for everyday use: salsa bowls, for instance. Or for catsup or other dipping sauces so they don't run all over the plate, or for runny side items that you may not want to bleed onto the entree (or vice-versa). I've used them as a makeshift steamer insert, too, to lift entire heads of veg above the water line (depending on the veg in question, you may want to place a heatproof plate on top of the ramekin).

I make individual servings of Shepherd's Pie in them so they can be frozen and reheated later: perfect ratio of mash to gravy that way. Anything you make in large batches that can be frozen could be portioned out that way to make budget friendly freezer entrees. And, yeah, um...creme brulee. There's nothing better than making it at home and blow-torching it yourself. Food and FIRE!

In addition to custards, you can simply bake whole eggs in them. Look for recipes for "shirred" eggs. A baked egg is quite sublime. If you're not into hours spent in the kitchen, make your Jell-O pud or gelatin and portion it out in the dishes. It sets superfast that way.

You can freeze discs of juice and fruit for use in punch bowls. Just dip it quickly in hot water to release the ice.

I'm sure I can think of more...they're just so handy and durable. I find myself grabbing for them all the time.